COLUMBIA, S.C. — A group of South Carolina lawmakers has reached a deal on a budget for the upcoming year, ending weeks of stalemate over the spending plan.
A conference committee made up of six lawmakers--three House members and three Senators--announced late Thursday afternoon they'd reached an agreement. The roughly $13 billion spending plan still needs a vote in both chambers, but typically once the conference committee makes a decision the rest of the members approve it. A vote in both chambers has not been scheduled.
The group had been trying to work out the differences since May 16. Negotiations had been largely quiet and behind the scenes.
A deal seemed out of reach even as recently as one day earlier, as members of the committee traded barbs over whether to spend about $112 million on a new veterinary school at Clemson University. The Senate wanted that funding, but the House only wanted to give $8 million.
Ultimately, the vet school got $102 million in funding.
The new budget includes several items which are broadly popular, including pay raises for teachers and law enforcement, additional tax relief, and money for school buses. The lawmakers also say the budget is balanced.
If the two sides hadn't reached an agreement before the end of the month, the more than $1 billion in extra tax revenue the state collected this budget year would have been unable to be spent. The revenue is currently set aside for things like raises, building rural schools, and hundreds of millions of dollars for local projects like downtown revitalizations, festivals, and park improvements.